A PENSIONER’S rubbish wasn’t collected because he mistakenly put an empty mince pie box in the wrong recycling bin – one of FOUR the council make him use.

Furious David Rowland, 81, labelled the binmen “childish” after they left the entire bag of glass bottles and jars on the pavement – because the council claim the cardboard “contaminated” it.

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David Rowland pictured with the four different recycling bins he has to use in order for his rubbish to be collectedCredit: send_brighton_pictures@sendonce.io

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The retired police officer had spent spent more than 15 minutes taking all the separate boxes and bagsCredit: send_brighton_pictures@sendonce.io

The retired police officer had carefully separated his rubbish into the four different recycling bins plus his general rubbish bin required by his local council.

But when recycling day came two weeks after Christmas Mr Rowland, from Peaceheaven, East Sussex, had unwittingly fallen foul of Lewes Council’s draconian rules on recycling.

They dictate that household rubbish must be separated into a bin for waste, a box for newspapers, a box for plastic and tin cans, a bag for paper and cardboard and a bag for glass.

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None of these can ever be mixed or they will not be collected.

David said: “When I saw they hadn’t taken it I was furious - it was just so childish.

“It would have taken them less than two seconds to move the box with one hand and put it in their cardboard bin.”

The pensioner, who is in heart failure and walks with a stick, spent more than 15 minutes taking all the separate boxes and bags down to the bottom of his driveway.

As it was the first collection day after Christmas, his cardboard bag was stuffed full so he placed four pieces of cardboard – including the mince pie box and a toilet roll insert – inside the top of the bag of glass where there was more room.

“I thought I was being helpful,” he said. “There was bad weather that day and the bits would have blown away if I had left them balanced on the top of the cardboard bag.”

But when he returned to remove the bags and boxes back inside, he discovered the binmen had left the whole bag of glass at the side of the road.

He added: “They had actually lifted up the glass bag to remove the box of newspapers underneath, but yet they wouldn’t take it because it had four bits of card in it. It all seems so pathetic.

“I really struggle to take the recycling down as I have to use a stick and can only take one bag at a time.

“But they won’t pick it up if there’s even one stray toilet roll in it. It just makes you think, ‘why do I bother?’.”

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The 'contaminated' bin with the mince pie box, pictured left, which was not collected by bin menCredit: send_brighton_pictures@sendonce.io

Mr Rowland lives with his wife Christine, 72, who is recovering from hip surgery and could not help him with the rubbish.

The couple complained to the council who have since agreed binmen will collect their waste from outside their garage, without them having to take it down the drive.

A Lewes District Council spokesman said it was reviewing its service with a view to reducing the number of separate containers residents use to sort recycling.

They added: “The council advises its residents to try and [sic] keep their items for recycling separate, as any mixing of materials however small in number, results in contamination and these items cannot then be recycled.

“Our collectors are allowed to use their discretion. Unfortunately, it appears in this case the contaminated card was not removed from the bag of glass, which resulted in it being contaminated and therefore not collected.

“We have arranged assisted collections for Mr Rowland in the future as we want to save him walking up and down the drive.”

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